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Romans 5:17 NIV For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

We’ve been given the ability to reign or rule in this life through Christ. Although this is a promise available to every believer, a lot of us don’t know how to reign.

We reign by exercising our faith in what Christ has done. God’s word says we’re healed by the stripes of Jesus Christ, so we believe that in the face of sickness. God’s word says we’ve been given peace by Jesus, so we remain in peace despite the calamity surrounding us.

Anything negative that’s in our way, Christ has taken care of it. When we believe in all that He’s accomplished for us, we’ll reign supreme over everything.

Romans 5:17 NIV For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

To reign means to possess or exercise sovereign power or to rule. Here’s a promise from God where He’s given us the ability to rule in life through Jesus Christ. That means we have power over anything that comes across our path.

If it’s sickness, lack, unhappiness, learning disabilities, division, or confusion, through Christ, we have the ability to rule over it.

Don’t be a victim any longer to circumstances. Understand that through Christ, we can reign as kings over everything.

If we feed our natural bodies food every day, we should be feeding our spirits food every day. Our born-again spirits feed on the word of God. When we hear ourselves reading the word of God or listen to a minister we like, our spirits are being fed. We know this because it says in Romans 10:17, faith comes by hearing the word of God.

There are no excuses to not feeding our spirits. There are countless bible teaching ministers available to listen to for free on YouTube. There are numerous bible apps available on our phones. We can listen at home, at work, and in our cars. We don’t have to listen to the entire sermon every day, but we can listen to around 30 minutes of the message every day.

Feeding our spirits empowers us with God’s word to overcome any obstacle we may face. The more word we feed our spirits, the more our faith grows (Rom. 10:17). And according to 1 John 5:4 CEV it says, every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory.

Whether it’s poverty, sickness, lack, hurt, discontentment, or depression, if we consistently feed our spirits on a daily basis, we’ll have the faith to defeat anything. Don’t deny your spirit the word of God.

I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word. -Psalms 119:15‭-‬16 NKJV

Colossians 2:6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him.

Once we accept Christ as Lord, it doesn’t stop there. We must continue to follow Him. Before each of us come up with how we must follow Him, let’s allow the scriptures to tell us what it means to follow Him. Look at verse 7.

7 Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Letting our roots grow down into Him is getting a deeper understanding of who Christ is and what He’s done. Christ is our wisdom, our sanctification, our righteousness, and more. Having an understanding of Christ allows our roots to grow down into Him.

Secondly, our lives must be built on Christ. It’s no longer what we can accomplish through our works or self-effort. Our lives are built on what Christ accomplished for us. We can try to be righteous by keeping the law or we can believe we’re made righteous through Christ (Rom. 3:22). We can attempt to gain wealth through toil or believe we’re made rich through Christ (2 Cor. 8:9).

Salvation is just the beginning. For the rest of our lives, we must grow in our understanding of who Christ is and continously build our lives on Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 NLT But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.

There are believers who are hoping, praying, and wishing they’re saved and they’ll go to heaven when they die. They’re unsure about their salvation based on various things they’ve heard or read out of context.

Some feel like they have to behave close to flawlessly to be saved. Others feel like a certain amount of good works will provide them with a ticket to heaven.

Here’s the truth: if we openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved (Romans 10:9). There’s nothing else to add. Ephesians 2:8 and 9 says, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Salvation is a gift from God. We can’t work for it or earn it. It’s a gift given by God through the sacrifice of Jesus.

Our confidence should be in our belief in what Jesus accomplished on the cross. If we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and He died for the sins of the world, we are saved. Be confident in your salvation, knowing you or any other believer will be in the presence of the Lord when we transition (2 Cor. 5:8).

When we’re in the waiting period between our prayer and the manifestation of our desires, it’s beneficial to meditate and confess God’s word.

When we meditate, we’re not humming to ourselves. Biblical meditation is seeing ourselves with the promise (Gen. 15:5). If it’s a house, see yourself driving up to it, walking through it, and going to sleep in it. If it’s overcoming pain in our bodies, imagine yourself doing the things you couldn’t do before the pain. We’re building an image in our minds to maintain and strengthen our faith.

Faith comes when we hear the word of God (Rom. 10:17). In that same waiting period, when we confess God’s word, we hear ourselves. When we hear ourselves speak God’s word, faith comes. We’re also imitating our Father by calling those things that are not yet manifested as though they were (Eph. 5:1; Rom. 4:17).

Confessions and meditation keep doubt and unbelief from contaminating our faith.

Genesis 15:5 NKJV Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

Mark 11:23 NKJV For assuredly, I say to you, whoever SAYS to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he SAYS will be done, he will have whatever he SAYS.

Galatians 5:16 NLT So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

Do you want to stop sinning? Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Allow Him to be Lord instead of your flesh. Unfortunately, because of Adam’s sin our natural desire is to allow our flesh to have its way. But there are certain things we can do to overrule our flesh.

When the thought to sin enters our minds, we’ll always have another option in front of us. We can either agree with Satan and do things his way or agree with God or do things His way.

It takes effort to do things God’s way. To be successful in overcoming sin, we must be intentional about spending time with God. The more time we spend with Him, the clearer we’ll hear His voice to do things His way. He’ll tell us in advance to not watch a certain movie because He knows there’s a sex scene that will tempt us to lust and fall.

The more time we spend with Him, the more convinced we’ll become that His way is more beneficial. We’ll realize a successful healthy marriage is more important and impactful to the Kingdom of God than one night with him or her in a hotel.

The more time we spend with Him, the stronger we’ll become to resist sinful urges. We’ll be equipped with power from the Holy Spirit to put down that bottle, turn off porn, or control negative emotions (Acts 1:8).

We may not win all our battles, but don’t quit. Receive His forgiveness and get back in the fight.

Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud,
Colossians 2:18 NLT

Condemnation comes in many forms. One form of condemnation is through self-denial.

When some people get saved, they deny themselves of certain joys for the sake of “holiness.” They may deny themselves from having a large house, excess money, enjoying a movie, listening to secular music, eating certain foods, or going on lavish vacations. In their minds, they think God is pleased with them because they’re denying themselves of these things. They then condemn people who may have or do these things.

Don’t fall for this condemnation tactic. The bible doesn’t say we can’t have or enjoy certain things in this life. He doesn’t want those things controlling us, but we can enjoy certain things.

If you hear anyone boasting about what they deny themselves for the sake of Christ, they’re full of pride and need to discover their purpose in Christ.

Colossians 3:2 ESV Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

If we have a problem, we’ll never get an answer by focusing on, dwelling on, and talking about the problem. Our answer comes from focusing on the word of God.

If we don’t have enough money for this or that, focusing on our lack won’t change our problem. However, our answer will come if we focus on God will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory (Phil. 4:19).

If our health is under attack, telling everyone about our ailments is not beneficial. However, telling everyone about our Help is beneficial (Psalm 121:1).

Wherever our focus is, that’s going to determine if we wallow in our problems or receive deliverance from our problems.

1 Chronicles 16:42 NLT They used their trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments to accompany their songs of praise to God. And the sons of Jeduthun were appointed as gatekeepers.

We may not have musical instruments to praise God, but we do have other instruments we can use to praise God.

Whatever talent God has given us can be an instrument to praise God. Poetry, motivational speaking, little league coaching, dance, financial strategizing, cooking, etc. can all be used to praise and bring glory to God.

God gave all of us gifts and talents. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you on how to use your talents to bring God glory.

The main pressures we have is the pressures we place on ourselves. We’re anxious about receiving our desires, therefore we put pressure on ourselves to “act holy” to get our desires NOW.

Believers put pressure on themselves through works. We fast for so many days, pray for so many hours, and attend so many church services in order for God to bless us. We think the more we do, the faster we’ll get what we desire. That’s not faith. That’s attempting to earn a blessing through works.

Biblical faith is asking God for the desire, in faith, believing that He’ll bring it to pass. It may be a day, a month, or a year, but we must trust He’ll eventually bring it to pass.

Don’t be deceived into thinking that your works will speed up the response time of your desires. If God didn’t specifically give you a date, relax knowing your faith is at work and it will eventually bring it to pass.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
Philippians 4:6 NKJV

1 Chronicles 16:8‭-‬9 NLT Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.

Stop hiding your blessings. People hide their blessings for various reasons. They don’t want to offend people who are less fortunate, they don’t want to be seen as being boastful, or they want to be relatable.

Regardless of the reasons, this thought process is unscriptural. There are multiple scriptures instructing us to tell others about the wonderful things God has done (Ps. 105:1; Ps. 118:1). We’re not boasting and bragging on ourselves. We’re giving God 100% of the credit for what He’s done in our lives.

Satan puts these thoughts in our minds to keep us quiet, limit our praise, and minimize God’s glory. If we don’t tell people who blessed us, how will they know? Our testimony could be the trigger to encourage others to seek the Lord and rely on Him.

After all that God has done for you, publicly give God the glory by not hiding your blessings.

We’ll face challenges. To successfully make it through anything, we must depend on God. Our money, our health, and our relationships may all fluctuate. The only thing that stays constant in our lives is God.

God is the One who has and will always be faithful. He has never left our side. We may have ignored Him from time to time, but He has always been there, patiently waiting on us to acknowledge Him.

As we acknowledge Him, He will direct our path. He’ll tell us what to do, where to go, what to take when we’re not feeling well, and who’s a good friend. The same way we ask people questions and ask for their suggestions, we can ask God. No theatrics are needed.

Let’s depend on God and He’ll make everything work out for our good (Rom. 8:38).

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5‭-‬6 NLT

John 12:42 – 43 NLT Many people did believe in Him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.

Back in the day, there were Jewish leaders who believed in Jesus. They knew He was the Christ, sent from God. However, they didn’t want to go public with their beliefs out of fear of losing their status, position, and friendships in the synagogue.

Sad to say, some believers are still doing similar things today. They’ve privately accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. However, they hold on to these friendships and lifestyles where they behave in a manner that doesn’t please God. They fear losing their status in the world instead of gaining praise from God.

We don’t have to disown people we’ve been close to all our lives. Instead, we should invite them up to where we are. Invite them to church, share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them, let them know what they’re missing out on being in the family of God.

Don’t try to straddle the fence by being a closet Christian. Be all in for God and if others follow you great, but if they don’t, it’s their loss.

Daniel 3:19 – 20 NIV Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.

When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to worship the golden image, Nebuchadnezzar was so furious until he used intimidation tactics to get them to reverse their confession and disobey God. Their confession was “if we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s intimidation tactics were heating the fire seven times hotter and using the strongest soldiers to bind them up. His goal was to put enough pressure on them based on what they saw so they would reverse their confession and disobey God. They did not cave under the pressure and they experienced a miracle.

Satan is using this same tactic today. He’s attempting to intimidate us based on what we’re experiencing. We may be declaring and believing for a job. Satan will use the news mentioning mass layoffs to intimidate us to believe there are no jobs out there. If the intimidation works, we’ll say what the news says instead of saying what we’re in faith for. If we’re in faith for a spouse, Satan will attempt to intimidate us with conversations of divorce, infidelity, and drama to make us not want to be married.

The ultimate goal of Satan is to get us to stop believing God, reverse our faith-filled confession, and to say a negative confession. Our job is to believe God’s word in spite of what we’re experiencing. Don’t back off your confession or your belief in God’s word. Continue to believe and confess His word until His promise comes to pass.

John 11:40 NLT Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?”

Glory can be defined as high renown or honor won by notable achievements. The glory of God is the manifested victories of God.

Jesus tells us we’ll see God’s glory if we believe. When we believe in all the things that have been made available to us through Jesus Christ, we’ll see God’s glory in our lives. There’s no limitation on this glory. God’s glory can and will be seen in our homes, our marriages, on our jobs, in our fellowship with Him, and with our children.

There’s no place God’s glory can’t be experienced if we believe. Believing with an expectation is the key. Study and believe God’s word to experience His glory.

2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.

All of God’s promises in God’s word have been approved. In Christ, God has already said yes to it.

Yes, healing has been made available by the stripes of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:24).

Yes, peace in the middle of any situation is there for the taking (John 14:27).

Yes, you can get the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).

Yes, you can have a child (Exodus 23:26; Deut. 7:14).

Yes, you can have whatever you ask for in prayer if you believe (Mark 11:24).

These promises, along with countless others, belong to the family of God. We don’t have to work for it or earn it. It’s been made available through Christ if we believe.

To build and maintain our belief for these promises, study and meditate on the scriptures associated with these promises. Once we’re fully convinced they belong to us, it’s just a matter of time before they come to pass.

Galatians 5:4 NLT For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.

Some people think that fallen from grace is when we backslide, publicly miss the mark, or have strayed from God. The biblical understanding of fallen from grace is when we attempt to be made right by keeping the law. Grace has been made available through Christ, but those who choose to reject it have fallen from grace.

Keeping the law doesn’t make us righteous or more righteous than those who don’t. We’re only made righteous by one thing: Our belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior who died on the cross for our sins makes us righteous.

If you’re keeping the law to earn righteousness, you have fallen away from God’s grace. Believe in the Lord Jesus and be made righteous through Him.

1 John 4:16‭-‬17 NLT We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

There are a lot of people, Christians included, who are scared of judgment day. They think all their good deeds will be compared to their bad deeds. If their bad deeds outweigh their good deeds, they’ll end up in hell.

According to scripture, we new covenant believers no longer need to be afraid of judgment day. Everyone who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior has trusted in God’s love. And our living like Jesus doesn’t mean we live a perfect life, but we’ve made our home in Christ and Christ has made His home in us (Ephesians 3:17-19; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Believing that Jesus paid for the punishment of our sin makes us right with God (Romans 3:22). Since we’re right with God, we can boldly be in the presence of God on the day of judgment. The only ones who should be afraid on judgment day are those who have not made Jesus Lord and Savior.

I encourage anyone who has not made Jesus Lord and Savior to make Him Lord and Savior. If you know anyone who has not made Jesus Lord and Savior, send this message to them (Romans 10:9).

Everyone, it’s time to make Jesus Lord and Savior.

Matthew 18:19 NLT “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, My Father in heaven will do it for you.

The enemy knows that if we’re in agreement, there’s nothing he can do to stop us. That’s why he attempts to get us in strife with one another. If we’re in strife and there’s division among us, it makes it difficult for agreement to take place.

Satan has made it a point to cause division between race, religion, and gender. He continues to influence division within these categories. There are so many versions of Christianity until the church’s power is limited. The scriptures say “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand (Matthew 12:25).

Let’s do our part and get in agreement with each other and go to God. We can make real changes in society as long as we’re on one accord. Satan has already divided us enough. Lets not fall for his tricks any longer and let’s be in agreement, with our foundation being the word of God.

Hebrews 10:23 AMP Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful [to His word];

Confessing the word of God, regarding the promises of God, is easy and enjoyable. It’s empowering to say we’re healed, we’re a blessing, we’re loved, we’re wealthy, we’re bold, and we’re strong.

Wavering is where the challenge starts. When life contradicts our confession, we tend to say what we’re experiencing instead of what is written. When a person’s bank account is less than $100 and bills are due, some confess they’re broke. When coughing and sneezing, some say they’re sick. When facing challenges in life, some say they’re struggling.

When our words contradict what is written, we’re wavering. The key is to say what God says in the face of opposition. We’re not delusional. We’re agreeing with what God says about us. When we continue to say what God says about us in His word, what we’re currently experiencing will change to line up with His word. There’s enough power in God’s word to change any situation.

Psalms 18:32 NLT God arms me with strength, and He makes my way perfect.

Thoughts in Our Mind: If I do it this way, this may happen, but if I do it that way, that may happen. But I need to remember to do that, because if I don’t, that may happen.

There are times where we have to make a decision with more than one good option. Both options have their pros and cons. Of course, we want to make the best decision, but we can’t naturally determine which option is best.

With more than one good option, most people will “go with their gut.” The problem with making a gut decision is, it could work out well, but what if the other option was better? Or, what if the option we chose didn’t turn out as well as we thought?

When there’s more than one option, it’s best that we consult God on which option to choose. He’ll tell us the best path to choose. If we make a decision without consulting Him, don’t beat yourselves up about it. There’s grace available through Jesus Christ to make everything work out for our good. Go to God and He’ll make our way perfect.

Psalms 18:28 NLT You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.

When we don’t know what to do, where to go, or where to turn, go to God and let Him light your way. He’ll tell you exactly what to do and where to go. It may not always make sense, but we’ll have the results we want.

The world is comfortable with making impulsive decisions or decisions that feel right. We can do that too, but we’ll regret making impulsive decisions if it doesn’t work in our favor knowing we had a better Source we could have gone to.

Don’t live life full of regrets just because you don’t know what to do. Go to the One who knows how we’re made and knows what’s best for us and He’ll light our paths.

Prior to making a big decision or when we’re in a serious situation, it’s beneficial to fast and pray. Fasting allows us to have clarity to hear God’s voice.

It’s not a law to fast and pray before we make a big decision or when we’re in a serious situation, but throughout scripture we see people benefiting from its use. Moses, Elijah, Daniel, Paul, and Jesus, Himself, fasted so that they might draw closer to God (Exodus 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8; Daniel 9:3; Daniel 10:2-3; 2 Corinthians 11:27; Matthew 4:2).

We should let the Holy Spirit lead us on if we should fast or not. If He instructs us to fast, don’t fight it. Understand we’ll receive great clarity and our decisions will align with the will of God.

Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”
Esther 4:15‭-‬16 NLT

Ephesians 3:17 NLT Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

In order to overcome the challenges of life, we’ll need strength. Our strength is not through will power. Our strength hinges on our knowledge and belief in God’s love for us.

When we believe in God’s love for us, we know He’s not going to let the challenges of life take us out. When negative situations come, God’s love provides a way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13). When sickness attacks our bodies, we must believe that His love has made healing available for us through Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 2:24). When our marriage is under attack, we must believe that God loves us enough to have already made peace available through Christ Jesus (John 14:27).

Whatever the challenge is, God loves us enough to have already provided a way out or a way to overcome. Gain and maintain strength in knowing and believing in God’s love.

2 Chronicles 20:15 NLT He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

In the old covenant, God fought their physical battles. It didn’t mean they sat back while angels defeated their enemies in every battle. They had to put in effort, but they were guaranteed victory by God.

In the new covenant, because of Jesus, we have been guaranteed the victory over our spiritual battles (2 Cor. 2:14). It doesn’t mean we just sit back and everything will get handled by God. We still have to fight, however, the only fight we have left to fight is the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12). The reason why it’s a good fight is because we win.

When we place all our battles into God’s hands and we believe He’ll do what His word says He’ll do, we’ll have victory every single time. The only way we’ll lose is if we attempt to fight the battle ourselves without Him. Even that loss is temporary because when we come to ourselves and go back to the Father, He’ll turn that “loss” into a win.

Whether it’s family issues, pornography addictions, low self-esteem, gambling habits, or previous hurts, give that battle to the Lord, trust Him, and do what He says, and we’ll experience victory like never before.

Mark 11:24 says whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. The faith process is…

1. Get a desire (house, car, promotion, etc.).
2. Ask God for the desire when you pray.
3. Believe you’ve received the desire when you pray.
4. God guarantees the desire will materialize.

This faith process will get us anything we desire. There’s nothing off limits, unless it doesn’t pertain to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3).

As we begin to strengthen our faith, desires will come from God that will stretch our faith. These desires can only be fulfilled through Him. There’s no way, humanly speaking, that we can do it ourselves. It usually costs more money than we have, more expertise than we have, and more mental and physical strength than we can exert.

When these humanly impossible desires come, don’t back down. The key is to continue to believe in spite of how unlikely it seems. If we don’t shy away from these major God-given desires, God will provide favor and strategies to bring it to pass.

It doesn’t matter if it takes 10 years and a whole lot of money, if we stretch our faith to the level where God is, He’ll get the glory, we’ll get something we couldn’t imagine having, and we’ll be more of a blessing to the Kingdom of God and to people.

Matthew 19:26 NLT Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”

John 4:24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

When we’re going through a difficult season or when God has recently done something mind-blowing, an emotional response is usually associated with our prayer, praise, and worship. Unfortunately, some believers get hooked to these feelings and think they need to recreate these emotions to worship or praise God. That’s nowhere in the bible.

We can praise God with a monotone voice. We can pray casually throughout the day instead of theatrically in the morning. We can worship God without shedding a single tear. God doesn’t care if we’re emotional while praying or worshipping Him. God simply wants our prayer, praise, and worship.

In fact, the less we try to force an emotional response, the more we can say we’re worshipping Him in spirit and in truth. The truth is, we may not feel like nor have the time to tap into all these emotions, but we’ve made a conscious decision to worship God.

Let’s stop trying to feel His presence or tap into our emotions every time we pray, praise, and worship. Just make the decision to pray, praise, and worship God because that’s what He requests of us.

Ephesians 3:18 NLT And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. 19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

The love of Christ is an extention of the love of God. We may think we have some idea of God’s love for us, but we have no idea. His love is too wide, too deep, and too great to comprehend.

Although we’ll never fully grasp the magnitude of His love for us, always attempting to understand it will keep us on the right path.

As we get more and more revelation of God’s love for us, we’ll be blown away by how amazing it is. Revelation of His love compels us to submit to His will. A person has to be pretty committed to backslide after knowing He loves us, protects us, provides for us, blesses us, and gives us an unlimited supply of forgiveness. How can we dishonor a loving Father who has done so much for us?

Make it your life’s journey to get more understanding of God’s love for you. This understanding will motivate you to tell others about His love and love Him back by living a life that pleases Him.

There are certain people with the mentality that if we help the homeless or help those in need, they’ll always ask for a handout. They feel like if we give them food, clothes, money, or shelter, there will be no incentive for them to work and pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.

This thought process may seem logical, but it opposes the word of God. Proverbs 14:31 says whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors Him. Jesus said in Matthew 25:45 “And He will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these My brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help Me.’

It’s important to consult with the Holy Spirit on who to help. The Holy Spirit will tell us who truly needs help and those who are running a gimmick.

Regardless of how we feel or what we think of the poor, it’s clear in God’s word that we should help. If Jesus is Lord, His word should outweigh any logical reason why we can’t help those in need.

“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and He will reward them for what they have done.” – Proverbs 19:17

Colossians 1:28 NLT So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.

Tell everyone about Christ. Tell people how Christ died for the sins of the world. Not only did He die for our sin, but He took the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13). The curse includes sickness, poverty, and spiritual death. Our belief in what Jesus has done makes us righteous in God’s sight (Rom. 3:22).

It’s important to warn people about the consequences of not accepting Christ as Lord. The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). If people won’t accept the payment for sin through Jesus, there still will be an outstanding balance that needs to be paid. Ultimately, if people leave this earth without accepting the payment for sin through Jesus, their lives will be the payment for sin. It’s simple. Believe Jesus died for your sin and you will be saved (Rom. 10:9).

Teaching others about all that Christ has done and who they are in Christ will continuously perfect their relationship with God. God desires to do great things through and in our lives, however He’s limited on what He can do through and in us if we don’t have a revelation of who Christ is and our authority in Christ.

Let’s handle our responsibilities and tell, warn, and teach others about Christ.

Matthew 19:14‭-‬15 NLT But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.

In John 14:12 Jesus says, whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. With this understanding, believers have the ability to bless our children like Jesus blessed the children.

Bless means empowered to prosper. If we want our children to prosper educationally, emotionally, socially, and economically, we can bless them. If they have a test coming up, we can bless their minds to remember everything they’ve studied. If they have a doctor’s appointment, we can bless their bodies to function perfectly. If they’re going out with friends, we can bless their decision making abilities to make wise decisions.

We bless by saying (Gen. 48:20). So, don’t gamble with your children’s livelihood. Open your mouth and bless them on a daily basis.

1 Corinthians 12:25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.

The church is every born-again believer. There should be no division within the church. We all believe that Jesus is the Son of God Who died on the cross for our sins.

The church shouldn’t be divided based on interpretation of scripture. If someone interprets a passage of scripture differently than another, that’s not a reason to uproot themselves and start a church with everyone who agrees with them. We can disagree and still be one. Disagreement of scripture is not our enemy. The enemy is in the world reeking havoc, while believers are dividing themselves based on doctrine.

The church shouldn’t be divided based on biblical topics or commands. If a group of believers wants to focus on giving to the poor while another group wants to increase their faith in God’s word, that shouldn’t be two different churches. There’s room for us all. Every command is important. Believers shouldn’t criticize other believers because they feel like they’re doing something more pleasing to God. God is pleased with it all.

The only reason why there should be different bodies of believers is for proximity to our homes. When Paul was establishing churches in Corinth or Ephesus, he wasn’t giving each church a different set of instructions. Paul’s message, as well as our message, should be the same. Our message is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Occasionally, we should all (worldwide) come together as one body and worship the one true God and our Savior Jesus. Can you imagine the power in that place?

Let’s unite, not divide.

Psalms 35:27 NKJV Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

Out of all people, believers have made prosperity a bad word. They roll their eyes if someone mentions God and prosperity. If someone speaks on God, abundance, and wealth, they negatively categorize it as “the prosperity message.” But why?

All throughout the bible, God mentions or eludes to prosperity. As we can see above, it pleases God when we prosper (Ps. 35:27). In Genesis 12:2, God told Abram to be a blessing and by Genesis 13:2, Abram was financially prosperous. In 3 John 1:2 it says, beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. So, before the law Abram was prosperous, during the law it pleased God for His people to prosper, and in the new covenant God desires for us to be prosperous in all things. If God had a problem with us prospering, why would He put it throughout the bible?

Prosperity is not limited to money. As 3 John 1:2 says, God desires for us to be prosperous in all things. That includes our marriages, our health, our ministries, our relationships, our businesses, and in our money.

Don’t be deceived into thinking prosperity is not God’s will. We’re called to love, we’re called to give, and we’re called to prosper.

Luke 8:3 NLT Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and His disciples.

People supported the ministry of Jesus with their own resources. Today, some people will see a large church, and be deceived into thinking they don’t need to support the Kingdom of God. They’ll look at all the things that ministry is doing and say within themselves, “they don’t need my help.” Simultaneously, they may not support smaller growing ministries because they don’t know or trust what they’re doing with the finances.

It is good to support the Kingdom of God. Ministry costs. They have bills and overhead costs like any other business. Money doesn’t fall out of the sky just because the business represents the Kingdom of God. God will influence the hearts of believers to support the Kingdom of God. Don’t ignore this call to support.

Our finances have 3 basic functions. Our finances are to be a blessing to the Kingdom of God, be a blessing to people, and enjoy the abundant life Jesus provided through His sacrifice. Let’s do our part to give towards the Kingdom of God to expand the Kingdom of God.

Each day that passes, we should be more and more conviced that the word works. Each trial we overcome should be evidence of God’s existence. Every time provision was made, when we couldn’t see a way, should provide assurance that God is for us. When we think about how we should have been dead, but we’re not, is a testament of God’s mercy and grace.

The longer we walk with God and live by His word, the more we’ll experience the miraculous. As we walk by faith and not by sight, we’ll see the manifestation of what we’ve believed God for.

At some point, there should be a point of no return. Situations don’t scare us like they used to because we’re convinced. Mountains don’t move us because we’re convinced. Sickness attacking our bodies or the bodies of our loved ones doesn’t freak us out because we’re convinced. We know our God-given authority and we’ve seen God work too many times in too many situations. We’re convinced that nothing can stop us as long as we trust Him.

Abraham was fully convinced that in any circumstance, God will do whatever He said. As we consistently depend, lean on, and trust in God, we too should get to a point where we’re fully convinced that what He said audibly and in His written word will come to pass.

Romans 4:21 NLT He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises.

God blesses us every day. A lot of His blessings get overlooked because they’re not major in our eyes.

The following are blessings that get overlooked:

Mobility in our bodies, the functionality of our five senses, basic health, food, water, employment, healthcare, shelter, clothes, a bed, fresh air, family, friends, laughter, transportation, entertainment, His church, His protection, His presence, His forgiveness, His mercy, His grace, Jesus’ sacrifice.

God deserves sincere praise for these blessings as much as the new house, new car, or financial increase. We get used to His goodness being with us and these blessings are often overlooked.

Slow down, and look around and count the blessings God has given you and give Him praise.

Psalms 103:1 Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. 2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.

Isaiah 56:1 NLT This is what the Lord says: “Be just and fair to all. Do what is right and good, for I am coming soon to rescue you and to display my righteousness among you.

In our hearts, we know what is right. We know it’s right to give glory to God when good things happen to us. We know it’s right to stay faithful to our spouse and be kind to one another. God has written His laws on our hearts and in our minds, so deep down, we know what God expects of us (Heb. 10:16).

What stops everyone from doing right is demonic influences. We’re influenced to cut someone off while driving because they cut us off. We’re influenced to scroll through pornographic sites to satisfy our flesh. We’re influenced to be kind only to those who are kind to us.

The act of kindness (opening a door, giving a compliment, not complaining) is not hard. It’s a decision we make in our minds. Situations and people can make that act more challenging to accomplish, but it’s still up to us. For the Kingdom of God and for the glory of God, let’s do right.

Proverbs 16:3 AMPC Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.

Every thought, decision, and idea needs to be given to God. This is important because every good idea is not a God idea.

We give our thoughts to God through prayer. If an idea enters our minds, we go to God and ask if this is something we should be doing. He’ll tell us yes, no, or not yet. Once we have our answer, we wait for further instructions.

Through prayer, meditation, and spending time in His word, He’ll cause our desires to become agreeable to His will. God’s specific will for us may be for us to feed the poor, start a business, or be a better spouse or parent. God will provide step-by-step instructions, through the Holy Spirit, on how to bring this God idea to pass. Eventually, our plans, which were His ideas, will succeed.

Praise God for the success on every plan we’ve allowed to become agreeable to His will.

Psalms 18:30 NLT God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection.

God promises to be a shield for all who look to Him for protection. God’s shield protects us from all sides. Unlike a natural shield, God’s shield protects us from mental and physical attacks. We may feel safe in our homes, but the enemy is still attacking us mentally. If we look to God and His word, He’ll give us strategies to shield us from mental attacks.

The world has provided other things that give us a sense of protection. Naturally, we have guns, dogs, and alarms. For mental protection, there are psychiatrists, positive thinking books, and medicine. None of these things can guarantee 100% protection. Only God can give us 100% protection if we trust Him.

If we look to God for protection, He’s obligated Himself, through His word, to protect us. Let’s have peace of mind in this world by looking to and keeping our focus on Him.